Point-of-sale (pos) code sensing apparatus

ABSTRACT

Point-of sale (POS) devices and checkout devices are provided. An exemplary checkout apparatus includes a plurality of sensing elements arranged in fixed relationship with each other at the mouth of a bag. At least one of the sensing elements senses a code arranged on a product as the product is being placed into the bag.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO PRIORITY APPLICATION

This application hereby claims the benefit of U.S. Patent ApplicationNo. 62/098,110 for a “Point-of-Sale (POS) Code Sensing Apparatus” (filedDec. 30, 2014), which is hereby incorporated by reference in itsentirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to point-of-sale (POS) devices for sensingproduct codes.

BACKGROUND

One of the negative aspects of a customer's experience at typical retailstores, such as grocery stores, is the long time spent in a checkoutlane. If lines are too long, customers may simply forgo the transactionand leave the store without making a purchase, which can be costly forthe retailer and can be an inconvenience for the customer.

Many retailers have installed self-checkout lanes with scanningequipment to allow more checkout lanes to be available to the customers.The additional lanes are intended to speed up the checkout process.However, because of their inexperience with the operations of theself-checkout point-of-sale (POS) equipment, customers may spend moretime during the checkout process. It may require more time for customersto learn the processes and for employees to teach customers how to usethe equipment. Because of the uncertainty they feel when using theequipment, some customers may become frustrated and dissatisfied withthe checkout experience.

Therefore, a need exists for speeding up the checkout process at aretail establishment. In addition, a need exists to be able to moreeffectively scan products without the need for rescanning. Furthermore,a need exists for providing adequate feedback to the cashier, or to thecustomer in a self-checkout lane, regarding whether or not the productshave been scanned properly.

SUMMARY

Accordingly, in one exemplary implementation, the present inventionembraces a point-of-sale (POS) device, wherein the POS device includes ahousing and a plurality of sensing elements. The housing is configuredto at least partially surround a scanning space outside the mouth of abag. The plurality of sensing elements are mounted on the housing suchthat each of the sensing elements has a field of view that includes atleast a portion of the scanning space outside the mouth of the bag. Thesensing elements are configured to sense an identification code arrangedon a product when the identification code is in the scanning spaceoutside the mouth of the bag as the product is being placed into thebag.

In an exemplary embodiment, a checkout apparatus is provided. Thecheckout apparatus includes a plurality of sensing elements arranged infixed relationship with each other at the mouth of a bag. At least oneof the sensing elements senses a code arranged on a product as theproduct is being placed into the bag.

In another exemplary embodiment, a product-sensing device is describedin the present disclosure. The product-sensing device according to thisembodiment includes a plurality of sensors and a housing. The sensorsare arranged in fixed relationship with each other such that a field ofview of each sensor includes at least a portion of a scanning space nearthe mouth of a merchandise bag. The sensor housing is configured to atleast partially surround the scanning space near the mouth of themerchandise bag, and the plurality of sensors are mounted on the sensorhousing. At least one sensor includes a field of view to enable the atleast one sensor to sense a code associated with a product when the codeis in the scanning space area near the mouth of the merchandise bag.

The foregoing illustrative summary, as well as other exemplaryobjectives and/or advantages of the invention, and the manner in whichthe same are accomplished, are further explained within the followingdetailed description and its accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 schematically depicts a perspective view of a point-of-sale (POS)apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 schematically depicts a sensing space generally representing ascanning range of the POS apparatus of FIG. 1 at the mouth of a papermerchandise bag, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 schematically depicts the sensing space generally representing ascanning range of the POS apparatus of FIG. 1 at the mouth of a plasticmerchandise bag, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4A schematically depicts a top view of the POS apparatus of FIG. 1and exemplary scanning patterns of multiple sensors of the POSapparatus, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4B schematically depicts a front view of the POS apparatus of FIG.1 and exemplary scanning patterns of multiple sensors of the POSapparatus, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The figures are provided to represent exemplary embodiments and todescribe the various teachings and features of the present invention.The figures are not meant to limit the present disclosure, which mayinclude other embodiments as would be understood by one of ordinaryskill in the art. Moreover, the drawings are not necessarily drawn toscale and may represent any devices understood to be within the spiritand scope of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention is directed to point-of-sale (POS) devices usedfor customer checkout at a retail establishment. The present POS systemseeks to solve some of the problems of conventional POS devices. Forexample, a typical checkout process involves handling products twice,once for scanning and another for bagging. At some stores, the scanningduties are handled by one employee while the bagging duties are handledby another person (e.g., either another employee or the customer). Thepresent POS device eliminates the need to handle products twice bypositioning scanning equipment at the mouth of the merchandise bag intowhich the products are placed. In this way, a product is scanned by thescanning equipment as the product is being placed into the bag.

Conventional POS devices normally include a single scanner for scanningproducts. As such, the products must be positioned in a certainorientation with respect to the scanner to enable the scanner toproperly scan the product codes. An exemplary POS system includesmultiple scanning devices for scanning the product from differentangles. The utilization of multiple scanners positioned around ascanning space, as taught in the present disclosure, provides one ormore benefits, such as reducing the number of rescanning attempts thatare typically needed with conventional equipment having a singlescanner. As a result, the products may be scanned more effectively andmore quickly by the present POS device without the need to re-scan asoften.

Additionally, the present POS device may also include indicators forproviding feedback regarding the success of a scanning step. Forexample, in addition to an audible beep that is normally provided byconventional systems, the present POS device may also include visualindicators, such as lights and/or displays, for indicating whether ornot a product was scanned properly.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a perspective view of an embodiment ofa point-of-sale (POS) apparatus 10 according to the teachings of thepresent invention. In general, the POS apparatus 10 includes a sensorassembly 12 and a support assembly 14. The sensor assembly 12 includes ahousing 16 having a construction that at least partially wraps around acentral space, as defined in more detail below. The sensor assembly 12also includes a plurality of sensing elements or sensors 18, which aremounted in or on the housing 16. The sensors 18 may include laserscanners, barcode readers, one-dimensional code (e.g., barcode) imagers,two-dimensional code (e.g., quick response (QR)) imagers, or othersuitable sensors.

FIG. 2 shows an exemplary sensing space, or scanning space 20, generallyrepresenting the range of scanning patterns of the sensors 18 of the POSapparatus 10. The scanning space 20 represents the cumulative fields ofview (FOVs) and depths of field (DOFs) of the plurality of sensors 18.The scanning space 20 is generally located near or immediately outsidethe mouth 22 of a bag, such as a paper merchandise bag 24 (shown inphantom). The mouth 22 of the bag 24 is defined by an upper edge 26 ofthe bag 24.

Referring again to FIG. 1, the housing 16 is configured to at leastpartially surround the scanning space 20 when the bag 24 is opened andplaced with its bottom 28 resting on the platform 30 of the supportassembly 14 and its edge 26 in or near the scanning space 20. In thisposition, the bag 24 is ready to receive products that are inserted downinto the bag 24. The scanning space 20 may be defined as a space justoutside the mouth of the bag 24 where a product is scanned as it isbeing placed into the bag 24. This enables the user to scan and bag aproduct in one step or in one motion, according to the teachings of thepresent disclosure. In order for the POS apparatus 10 to operatecorrectly, a user will place the bag 24 in an appropriate position suchthat the mouth 22 of the bag 24 is in or immediately below at least aportion of the scanning space 20. With the bag 24 properly placed,products with scannable codes can be scanned as the user is placing theproduct into the bag 24.

FIG. 3 illustrates the scanning space 20 generally representing thecumulative ranges (e.g., FOVs and the DOFs) of the sensors 18. In thisembodiment, the scanning space 20 of the POS apparatus 10 is located atthe mouth 32 of a plastic merchandise bag 34, according to an embodimentof the present invention.

When plastic bags 34 as shown in FIG. 3 are used, the height of thesensor assembly 12 may be adjusted such that a bottom section of the bag34 will rest on the platform 30 when one or more products are placed inthe bag 34. As shown in FIG. 1, the support assembly 14 typicallyincludes one or more vertical supports, such as legs 36. The legs 36 maybe adjustable and configured to position the height of the sensorassembly 12 for various kinds of bags, totes, boxes, or othercontainers.

Although the paper bag 24 (FIG. 2) may be able to maintain its shapewithout collapsing, some bags such as plastic bags 34 (FIG. 3) may beheld open using arms 42. The arms 42 may be coupled to the sensorassembly 12 or one or more legs 32. The arms 42 extend substantiallyhorizontally and are configured to support the bags 34 in an openposition. In this configuration, the mouth 32 of the bag 40 is generallypositioned just below at least a portion of the scanning space 20.According to other embodiments, the arms 42 may instead be configured ashooks, ridges, or other kinds of components for holding the plastic bag34 such that its mouth 32 is opened to allow products to be placedtherein.

Again referring to FIG. 1, the sensors 18 are mounted on the housing 16such that each of the sensors 18 has a field of view (FOV) including atleast a portion of the scanning space 20 outside the mouth of the bag24. The sensors 18 are configured to sense an identification codearranged on a product when the identification code is in the scanningspace 20 outside the mouth 22,32 of the bag 24,34 as the product isbeing placed into the bag 24,34. The identification code can be printedon the product itself or on a package, bag, box, or other container forholding the product. In other implementations, the identification codemay be printed on a sticker, tag, or other medium and applied to theproduct or its container using a suitable application means.

The sensors 18 are arranged in fixed relationship with each other suchthat the field of view (FOV) of each sensor 18 includes at least aportion of the scanning space 20 near the mouth of the bag 24. With thehousing 16 configured to at least partially surround the scanning space20, at least one of the sensors 18 may be configured to have a FOV thatenables the at least one sensor 18 to sense the identification codeassociated with the product.

Thus, when the code is brought into the scanning space 20 near the mouth22 of the bag 24, at least one of the sensors 18 scans the code. Themultiple sensors 18 are configured with different fields of view and canbe arranged such that essentially all parts of the scanning space 20 arewithin at least one field of view to allow reliable capture of theidentification codes. When combined, the fields of view of the pluralityof sensors 18 substantially encompass all or most of the scanning space20 outside the mouth 22,32 of the bag 24,34.

The sensor assembly 12 may also include one or more mirrors 46, whichmay be fixed to redirect the fields of view (FOVs) of the sensors 18(e.g., imager FOVs or laser scanner FOVs) or movable to sweep the FOVs.For example, regarding embodiments in which the sensors 18 are laserscanners, the mirrors may be moveable to deflect and guide-scanninglaser beams in different directions in order to cover a more substantialfield of view. The moveable mirrors can be moved by any suitablemechanism to guide the sensor FOV. In alternative embodiments, opticallenses may be used in place of the mirrors 46 to guide laser beams in apredefined fashion.

The sensors 18 and mirrors 46 may be arranged such that the sensor FOVsare directed horizontally, angled slightly upward, and/or angledslightly downward. Upward directed FOVs allow the sensors 18 to sensecodes on the bottom of a product as it is being placed in the bag 24,34.

To aid in the reading of codes, the sensor assembly 12 may include oneor more lights 50, which may be arranged as depicted in FIG. 1. Thelight(s) 50 are mounted on the housing 16 and are configured toilluminate at least portions of the scanning space 20. The lights 50 areconfigured to enhance the ability of the sensors 18 to sense the codeassociated with the product, such as by increasing the contrast betweenthe black lines or blocks and the white spaces of the identificationcodes. As a result of the added illumination, the sensors 18 (e.g.,imagers) may better read the product codes.

Additionally, the sensor assembly 12 may include one or more indicators52. The indicators 52 may be visual indicators and/or audio indicators.Visual indicators may include different colors for representingdifferent states. For example, a “ready” state may be represented with awhite light pattern to indicate that the sensors 18 are ready to sense acode. When a product is being placed in the bag 24,34 and simultaneouslyscanned by the sensors 18, the visual indicators 52 may display a“scanned” state to indicate that the product's code was properlyscanned. This state may be represented, for example, with a green lightpattern. If it is determined that a product is being placed in the bag24,34 but no code is scanned, the visual indicators 52 may display an“error” state to indicate that the code was not scanned. This state maybe represented, for example, with a red light pattern. In one embodimentof the sensor assembly, lights 50 and visual indicators 52 are one inthe same.

As mentioned above, the sensor assembly 12 is arranged such that thehousing 16 at least partially surrounds the scanning space 20. Thesupport assembly 14 is configured to position the sensor assembly 12such that it properly surrounds the scanning space 20, as taught by thepresent disclosure. The support assembly 14 may include a stand 56, theplatform 30, and the one or more legs 36. In other embodiments, framingelements, panels, or other suitable structures may be used instead ofone or more of the legs 36.

According to some implementations, the length of the legs 36 may beadjustable to allow the sensor assembly 12 to be positioned at differentheights. Thus, different sizes of bags can be used. For example, thepaper bag 24 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 has one particular height from thebottom 28 of the bag 24 to the edge 26 of the bag 24. By adjusting theheight of the sensor assembly 12 above the platform 30, other sizes ofpaper bags and other kinds of bags, such as the plastic bag 34 shown inFIG. 3, may also be used.

The support assembly 14 of the POS apparatus 10 is configured to becoupled to and to support the sensor assembly 12. The support assembly14 is coupled to the housing 16 and is configured to position the mouth22,32 of the bag 24,34 at the scanning space 20 near or surrounded bythe housing 16.

The identification code of the product is at least one of a barcode orother one-dimensional code, a QR code or other two-dimensional code, orother suitable recognizable coded image. Correspondingly, the pluralityof sensors 18 may include at least one of barcode readers, laserscanners, one-dimensional scanners, linear imagers, QR code readers,two-dimensional scanners, large array two-dimensional imagers, or othersuitable readers or imagers. In some alternative embodiments, theproduct codes may be implemented as radio frequency identification(RFID) tags or other suitable passive or active wireless communicationtags. According to these alternative embodiments, the sensors 18 may beRFID readers, low energy Bluetooth readers, or other suitable wirelesscommunication receivers.

According to some embodiments, the sensor assembly 12 may include aproduct-flow detector 60 configured to detect when a product is beingplaced into the bag and when a product is being removed from the bag.The product-flow detector 60 may be mounted on the housing 16 anddirected in the general direction of the scanning space 20. Theproduct-flow detector 60 senses the presence of a product. Theproduct-flow detector 60 may also sense the direction that the productis moving. Particularly, the direction of movement may be sensed aseither downward (i.e., into the bag 24,34) or upward (i.e., out of thebag 24,34).

According to some embodiments, the support assembly 14 may include ascale 64 that is configured to measure the weight of the product orproducts that have been placed in the bag 24,34. The scale 64 can alsobe used to measure the weight of produce, such as fruits and vegetables.The scale 64 may be used to verify that a scanned product being placedin the bag 24,34 has the proper weight according to weight informationstored in the POS apparatus 10 itself or stored in an external memory,table, register, or database accessible by the POS apparatus 10.

The sensors 18, mirrors 46, and other elements of the sensor assembly 12are configured such that each sensor 18 has a depth of field (DOF)sufficient to sense the code of a product at a distance at least asgreat as a line-of-sight distance from the sensing element of therespective sensor 18 to approximately a central point of the scanningspace 20 outside the mouth of the bag.

When each of the sensors 18 has such a depth of field sufficient tosense the code associated with the product at this distance, themultiple sensors 18, when arranged at different angles, can adequatelycover the scanning space 20. One or more sensors 18 may be able to scanthe product code at most locations within the scanning space 20. Thus,the POS apparatus 10 may be capable of more effectively and more quicklyscanning codes than a one-sensor checkout device.

FIG. 4A shows a top view of the POS apparatus 10, and FIG. 4B shows afront view of the POS apparatus 10. The lines 68 are shown to representgenerally the FOV and DOF of the multiple sensors 18. With the variousangles, in one dimension and/or in two dimensions, and the extent ordepth of coverage, at least one the sensors 18 can adequately scan theproduct codes essentially within the scanning space 20. In FIGS. 4A and4B, the focal points of the lines 68 are shown as being outside theactual housing 16. The lines 68 are illustrated this way to show theembodiment where the sensors 18 are scanning devices (e.g., imagers,laser scanners, etc.) that utilize the mirrors 46. With the sensor FOVsbeing reflected off the mirrors 46, the virtual locations of the sensors(e.g. the imaging camera lens, the sources of the laser beams, etc.) areperceived to be at the focal points.

To supplement the present disclosure, this application incorporatesentirely by reference the following patents, patent applicationpublications, and patent applications:

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In the specification and/or figures, typical embodiments of theinvention have been disclosed. The present invention is not limited tosuch exemplary embodiments. The use of the term “and/or” includes anyand all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. Thefigures are schematic representations and so are not necessarily drawnto scale. Unless otherwise noted, specific terms have been used in ageneric and descriptive sense and not for purposes of limitation.

1. A point-of-sale (POS) device, comprising: a housing configured to atleast partially surround a scanning space outside the mouth of a bag;and a plurality of sensing elements mounted on the housing, each of thesensing elements having a field of view including at least a portion ofthe scanning space outside the mouth of the bag; wherein the sensingelements are configured to sense an identification code arranged on aproduct when the identification code is in the scanning space outsidethe mouth of the bag as the product is being placed into the bag.
 2. ThePOS device of claim 1, wherein the fields of view of the plurality ofsensing elements, when combined, substantially encompass the entirescanning space outside the mouth of the bag.
 3. The POS device of claim1, wherein at least two of the sensing elements are oriented atdifferent angles with respect to each other.
 4. The POS device of claim1, comprising a support assembly coupled to the housing, the supportassembly configured to position the mouth of the bag at the scanningspace.
 5. A checkout apparatus comprising a plurality of sensingelements arranged in fixed relationship with each other at the mouth ofa bag, wherein at least one of the sensing elements senses a codearranged on a product as the product is being placed into the bag. 6.The checkout apparatus of claim 5, wherein each of the sensing elementshas a field of view including at least a portion of a scanning spaceoutside the mouth of the bag.
 7. The checkout apparatus of claim 6,wherein at least two of the plurality of sensing elements are orientedat different angles with respect to each other.
 8. The checkoutapparatus of claim 6, wherein at least one of the sensing elements isoriented at an angle with respect to an imaginary plane generallyparallel with the mouth of the bag.
 9. The checkout apparatus of claim5, wherein the sensing elements are mounted on a housing.
 10. Thecheckout apparatus of claim 9, wherein the housing at least partiallysurrounds a scanning space outside the mouth of the bag.
 11. Thecheckout apparatus of claim 9, comprising a support assembly coupled tothe housing, the support assembly configured to position the mouth ofthe bag near the housing.
 12. The checkout apparatus of claim 11,wherein the support assembly is configured to support the housing and aplurality of bags.
 13. The checkout apparatus of claim 9, comprising atleast one light mounted on the housing, wherein the at least one lightis configured to enhance the ability of the sensing elements to sensethe code arranged on the product.
 14. The checkout apparatus of claim 5,wherein the code arranged on the product is at least one of a barcode, aquick response (QR) code, and a data matrix code, and wherein theplurality of sensing elements includes at least one of barcode readers,laser scanners, one-dimensional scanners, two-dimensional scanners,two-dimensional imagers, and linear imagers.
 15. The checkout apparatusof claim 5, comprising at least one indicator configured to indicatewhether the code arranged on the product is successfully sensed when theproduct is being placed into the bag.
 16. The checkout apparatus ofclaim 15, wherein the at least one indicator includes at least one ofvisual indicators and audio indicators.
 17. The checkout apparatus ofclaim 15, comprising a product-flow detector configured to detect whenthe product is being placed into the bag and when the product is beingremoved from the bag.
 18. The checkout apparatus of claim 5, whereineach of the sensing elements has a depth of field sufficient to sensethe code arranged on the product at a distance at least as great as aline-of-sight distance from the sensing element to a center point of themouth of the bag.
 19. A product-sensing device, comprising: a pluralityof sensors arranged in fixed relationship with each other such that afield of view of each sensor includes at least a portion of a scanningspace near the mouth of a merchandise bag; and a sensor housingconfigured to at least partially surround the scanning space near themouth of the merchandise bag; wherein the plurality of sensors aremounted on the sensor housing; and wherein at least one sensor includesa field of view to enable the at least one sensor to sense a codeassociated with a product when the code is in the scanning space areanear the mouth of the merchandise bag.
 20. The product-sensing device ofclaim 19, comprising a support assembly coupled to the sensor housing,the support assembly configured to position the mouth of the merchandisebag near the sensor housing.
 21. The product-sensing device of claim 20,wherein the support assembly includes a platform and a scale formed in atop surface of the platform, the platform and scale configured tosupport and detect the weight of the merchandise bag and products in themerchandise bag.
 22. The product-sensing device of claim 21, wherein thesupport assembly includes a stand and at least one leg, the platformcoupled to a top portion of the stand, the at least one leg extendingupward from the platform and configured to support the sensor housing.23. The product-sensing device of claim 19, comprising: at least oneillumination element mounted on the sensor housing, the at least oneillumination element being configured to enhance the ability of thesensors to sense the code associated with the product; and at least oneindication element mounted on the sensor housing, the at least oneindication element being configured to indicate to a user whether thecode associated with the product is successfully sensed when the code isin the scanning space near the mouth of the merchandise bag.
 24. Theproduct-sensing device of claim 19, wherein the code associated with theproduct is at least one of a barcode, a quick response (QR) code, and adata matrix code, and wherein the plurality of sensors includes at leastone of barcode readers, laser scanners, one-dimensional scanners,two-dimensional scanners, two-dimensional imagers, and linear imagers.25. The product-sensing device of claim 19, comprising a product-flowdetector configured to detect when the product is being placed into thebag and when the product is being removed from the bag.
 26. Theproduct-sensing device of claim 19, wherein each of the sensors has adepth of field sufficient to sense the code associated with the productat a distance at least as great as a line-of-sight distance from thesensor to an approximate center point of the scanning space near themouth of the merchandise bag.